SC Nominee - Judge Sonia Sotomayor?

[Richard]

MSM is reporting Clinton appointed Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor is being nominated to replace Justice Souter.

Sonia Sotomayor

UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE

United States Court of Appeals For The Second Circuit 10/13/98 to present

UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

Southern District of New York 10/2/92 to 10/12/98

PAVIA & HARCOURT

600 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Partner 1/1/88 to 9/30/92
Associate 4/84 to 12/87

International commercial litigation, including the drafting of pleadings, all phases pre-trial discovery, motion practice, trials, and appellate briefs and arguments. Extensive experience in the arbitration of commercial and commodity export trading cases.


NEW YORK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE

New York, New York
Assistant District Attorney 9/79 to 3/84

Reponsibilities included investigation and evaluation of felony cases, grand jury presentations, pre-trial motion practice, bench and jury trials, appellate briefs and arguments.

EDUCATION:

YALE LAW SCHOOL
New Haven, Connecticut
J.D., June 1979
Editor, Yale Law Journal
Managing Editor, Yale Studies in World Public Order
Semi-finalist, Barristers Union

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
Princeton, New Jersey
B.A., summa cum laude, June 1976
Member, Phi Beta Kappa
Co-winner, M. Taylor Pyne Honor Prize - prize awarded annually to the senior(s) who has most clearly manifested excellent scholarship and effective support of the best interests of Princeton University
Honorable mention, Senior Thesis, Latin American Studies

HONORARY DEGREES:

Brooklyn Law School
Degree of Juris Doctor Honoris Causa
June 7, 2001

Princeton University
Degree of Juris Doctor Honoris Causa
June 5, 2001

Herbert H. Lehman College
Degree of Doctor of Law Honoris Causa
June 2, 1999

PUBLICATIONS:

Statehood and the Equal Footing Doctrine: The Case For Puerto Rican Seabed Rights, 88 Yale Law Journal 825 (1979).

Sonia Sotomayor & Nicole A. Gordon, Returning Majesty to the Law and Politics: A Modern Approach, 30 Suffolk U.L. Rev. 35 (1996).

ASSOCIATIONS:

Adjunct Professor, New York University School of Law since 1998.
Lecturer-in-law, Columbia Law School since 1999.
Member, American Bar Association.
Member, Hispanic Bar Association.
Member, Puerto Rican Bar Association.
Member, Association of Judges of Hispanic Heritage.
Member, New York Women's Bar Association.
Member, American Philosophical Society.
Former Member, Second Circuit Task Force on Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness In the Courts.
Former Member, New York City Campaign Public Finance Board (Mayor's Appointee). 1988-1992.
Former Member, Board of Directors, State of New York Mortgage Agency (Governor's Appointee), 1987-1992.
Former Member, Board of Directors, Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, 1980-1992.

LANGUAGES:

English and Spanish

Obama picks Sotomayor for high court
AP, 26 May 2009

President Barack Obama tapped federal appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, officials said, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a justice.

If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. Two officials described Obama's decision on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.

Administration officials say Sotomayor would bring more judicial experience to the Supreme Court than any justice confirmed in the past 70 years.

A formal announcement was expected at midmorning.

Obama had said publicly he wanted a justice who combined intellect and empathy — the ability to understand the troubles of everyday Americans.

Democrats hold a large majority in the Senate, and barring the unexpected, Sotomayor's confirmation should be assured.

If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current court.

Sotomayor is a self-described "Newyorkrican" who grew up in a Bronx housing project after her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.

A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992.

As a judge, she has a bipartisan pedigree. She was first appointed by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then named an appeals judge by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it."

In one of her most memorable rulings as federal district judge, Sotomayor essentially salvaged baseball in 1995, ruling with players over owners in a labor strike that had led to the cancellation of the World Series.

As an appellate judge, she sided with the city of New Haven, Conn., in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters after the city threw out results of a promotion exam because two few minorities scored high enough. Ironically, that case is now before the Supreme Court.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090526/..._supreme_court

Richard's $.02

[longrange1947]

Please let the Blue Dog Democrates speak out.

[rubberneck]

Given the circumstances this is the best possible outcome a conservative could realistically expect. While she is liberal she doesn't appear to Ruth Bader Ginsburg rabid ACLU liberal. She seems much closer to the middle than any nominee a "centrist" like Bill Clinton rolled out. Of course that could all change once she is on the bench for life. The man she is replacing was supposed to be a moderate conservative and he turned out to be a flaming liberal, so who knows. Hopefully Obama has just had his George Herbert Walker Bush moment.

[Ret10Echo]

The "Souter" factor makes it a crap-shoot.

Her quote concerning Constitutional interpretation (during Senate confirmation)was most likely for show....or maybe for real. Either way it could be a problem for 2nd ammendment rights depending on how you read it.

Well the comment she made;

At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it."

Perhaps is a good indication of her politics. She has the experience, and the credentials to be a good Justice. There is a body of evidence and rulings that should prove her leanings.

OTOH........


http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/judge-s...n-civil-cases/

From the SCOTUS blog

Since joining the Second Circuit in 1998, Sotomayor has authored over 150 opinions, addressing a wide range of issues, in civil cases. To date, two of these decisions have been overturned by the Supreme Court; a third is under review and likely to be reversed. In those two cases (and likely the third), Sotomayor’s opinion was rejected by the Supreme Court’s more conservative majority and adopted by its more liberal dissenters (including Justice Souter). Those outcomes suggest that Sotomayor’s views would in many respects be similar to those of Justice Souter

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by rubberneck

Given the circumstances this is the best possible outcome a conservative could realistically expect. While she is liberal she doesn't appear to Ruth Bader Ginsburg rabid ACLU liberal. She seems much closer to the middle than any nominee a "centrist" like Bill Clinton rolled out. Of course that could all change once she is on the bench for life. The man she is replacing was supposed to be a moderate conservative and he turned out to be a flaming liberal, so who knows. Hopefully Obama has just had his George Herbert Walker Bush moment.

I concur, though I disagree with her decision in the New Haven firefighter discrimination case. She appears to be willing to support discrimination, as long as it is against the right people.

TR

[rubberneck]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

I concur, though I disagree with her decision in the New Haven firefighter discrimination case. She appears to be willing to support discrimination, as long as it is against the right people.

TR

It is interesting that you mention the firefighter case. I read earlier that the appeal of that case is to be heard during the next court session. In a footnote on the appeals level one of the other Judges came right out and said that her interpretation of the law was completely wrong. We could have a case where a sitting Justice is reprimanded by the rest of the court, or at least a majority of the court. Wouldn't that make things a bit uncomfortable. Welcome to the Court Justice Sotomayor, and oh by the way your decision in that case was incompetent.

[Ret10Echo]

Originally Posted by rubberneck

It is interesting that you mention the firefighter case. I read earlier that the appeal of that case is to be heard during the next court session. In a footnote on the appeals level one of the other Judges came right out and said that her interpretation of the law was completely wrong. We could have a case where a sitting Justice is reprimanded by the rest of the court, or at least a majority of the court. Wouldn't that make things a bit uncomfortable. Welcome to the Court Justice Sotomayor, and oh by the way your decision in that case was incompetent.

Confirmation hearings should be interesting. Might be a good C-SPAN webcast to watch.

[Dozer523]

Jesuit HW Christ! What is this world coming to?
First the Concealed Carry in National Parks and now this SC Nominee?!!?

[Blitzzz (RIP)]

Except the NRA...Oh well, I didn't check if there was a Peuto Rican NRA. maybe somewhere in South LA.

[Penn]

I like this pick. If you know Da Bronx, and are familiar with the deeply embedded Catholic attitude of the New York Puerto Rican community, I think you will find her to be a social quasi-conservative. I am married to one. She is deeply proud of her heritage and believes, as does most of her family, (and they reflect the gambit of our entire society) that there is no free lunch. That does not mean affirmative action is dead, or that social programs will not find her support, it does mean that as a Latina she will expect the merits of each case to validate their relationship to the constitution. She will be slightly right of center on the constitution and slightly left on individual freedoms and social issues.

Also, I think the case was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court as Ricci v. DeStefano, and a ruling has not yet been issued.

[Shar]

I think they floated Napolitano's name out there as a possible pick just to make his actual pick seem totally acceptable. My initial thought was relief as it WASN'T Janet.

As to her specifically, I think she's as good as we could reasonably expect from Obama and better than I was thinking. And really, when you are talking about a replacement for Souter? How hard is it to improve?

[Sigaba]

The New York Times has collected some of Ms. Sotomayor's rulings and additional documents.

Source is here.

[kgoerz]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

The New York Times has collected some of Ms. Sotomayor's rulings and additional documents.

Source is here.

So what I understand. Is according to her the 2nd amendment can be overridden by States. Example, California decides to make the ownership of all Gun illegal. They can, because the 2nd Amendment applies only to federal rulings. Not the States.
The MSM spin on her having absolutely no faults and her nomination being equal to Obama discovering a cure for Cancer has begun.

[Roguish Lawyer]

I will post my thoughts on her once I have some, but I will note at this time that there are two facts supporting this nomination:

1. She has Type-1 diabetes
2. She was a heavy smoker